Process and apparatus for recovery of hydrocarbons from oil shale



c. w. THOMPSON. PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBONS FROMOIL SHALES.

APPLICA ION FILED SEPT. 15. 1919- 'Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

- mmwlloz GM 7720272 225021,

reamed Sept. 5, 1922.

ii NHED STATES PATENT oar-ice.

CAREY W. THOMPSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

rnocnss AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERY or mnocannous l nen OIL smmaApplication filed September 15, 1919. Serial No. 323,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CAREY W. THOMPSON,-

a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes and Apparatus for Recove of Hydrocarbons fromOil Shale; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the recovery of gasolene and likehydrocarbons, suitable for motor fuels, as well as oils, from oilshales.

The object of the invention is to produce the maximum amount of gasoleneand like compounds from the shale with the minimum amount of fixedgases, together with the resulting low production of carbon.

Briefly, the invention comprises advancing crushed oil shale throughaheating device having a chamber heated to 600 or 700 F.,

whereln vapors of gasolene, like compounds,

and light oils are driven ofi, these vapors being conducted directlyfrom the chamber, superheated, and fractionally condensed. The shale isadvanced farther through the apparatus into a second chamber heated to atemperature of from 800 to 900 F., wherein vapors of heavy hydrocarbonsare driven oil" from the shale. The heavy hydrocarbon vapors areconducted in part to the intake of the device and introduced into theincoming shale, whereby the shale particles are coated with heavyhydrocarbon and the temerature of the shale is raised before entermg thefirst heating chamber. The heavy hydrocarbon serves to prevent, or atleast Fig. 1 represents diagrammatically one form of apparatus forcarrying on the process.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sections taken respectively on the lines22, 3-3,4-4, Fig 1.

A furnace 10 havinga fire box 12, grate l4, and combustion chamber 16,supports a heating device 18 through which extends a conveyor 20 drivenby means such as a pulle 22. A hopper 24 feeds'the heater 18. A ove thecombustion chamber 16 the heater 18 is enlarged to form a vapor chamber26, the lower portion of the chamber being shaped to follow the contourof the conveyor 20 as .much as ssible, as shown in Fig. 3, in order to eciently advance the shale. The top of the chamber 26 is provided withtake-ofl? connections 28, leading to a conduit 30. In this chamberasolene and kindred compounds, together with light oils, are driven o invapor form. The conveyor 20 then advances theshale to a second chamber32, similar in construction to the chamber 26, this chamber 32 beinglocated over the fire box 12, in order to be heated to a higher degree.Here all of the heavy hydrocarbon vapors that the shale will roduce aredriven ofi'. These enter a con uit 36 which may be controlled by a valve34, and are conducted to the forward end of the heater, where they areintroduced from the.

I have found that when the shale particles are coated by means of theheavy hydrocarbon vapors, the formation of fixed gases is eitherentirely prevented or at least largely retarded. The result is anincrease in the quantity of gasolene and the like, and light oils, to anextent almost double that where the shale is not so treated. There is acorre sponding decrease in the production of carbon., At the same time,the process is not interfered with by the excess of heavy hydrocarbon,since it may be so controlled that it will all be driven ofi from thechamber 32.

Surplus vapors not required to treat the shale are drawn ofi through theconduit 40,

controlled by the valve 42 for refining. The amount of vapors from thechamber 32 which shall pass through conduits 36 and 40 is easilycontrolled by valves 34: and 42. The shale, deprived of itshydrocarbons, is discharged through a chute at 44.

In order to efficiently prevent the passa e of vapors through the shaleeither from t 1e hopper 24 or from the chute 44, the ends of the heater18 beyond the chambers 26 and 32 are sufliciently long that theaccumulation of the ground shale will check their passage.

As the light vapors leave the conduit 30, they are conducted directlyand Without condensation, to a coil in a superheater 52,whence they passto fractional condensation tanks 54, 55, 56 and 57, in a series asnumerous as required for complete condensation. The object ofsuperheating the vapors is to raise their temperature to a point Wherevaporization is complete so that the fractions condensed may becomplete. due to the greater range in temperature.

One of the condensation chambers 57 will be used as a scrubber and theinlet into this chamber at 58 Will be located below the level of aquantity of water therein indicated at 59. Beyond this chamber theproducts, consisting of kerosene, gasolene, and like compounds, will beclear.

The fractional condensation apparatus preferably will be located in mroom in Which the temperature may be controlled and the tanksair-cooled. In this manner there Will be no requirements for Water forthe entire process, except that small amount used in the scrubber 57This is a valuable feature, since in the shale regions water is usuallyvery scarce.

It should be noted also that in the present process the heavyhydrocarbons are separated from the lighter constituents during theprocess itself. This therefore eliminates the separation of the heavyhydrocarbons in the condensation apparatus 54, 55, 56, 57.

The heavy vapors will be condensed and refined in a different apparatus,which may be similar to that for the light vapors.

I claim i l. A process for distillation of hydrocarbons from, oil shalecomprising heating the shale by external means to free gasolene andlight oils, removing light oils and gasolene then heating the shale at ahigher temperature to vaporize the heavy hydrocarbons, and introducingthe heavy vapors freed from said light oils and gasoline into a freshcold quantity of shale prior to the first heat treatment.

2. A process for distillation of hydrocarbons from oil shale comprisingintroducing heavy hydrocarbon vapors at a high temperature into crushedshale having a lower temperature, the vapors being introduced inquantity sufiicient to only coat the shale particles as the vaporscondense without leaving a free liquid residue, and then heating theshale at a. temperature sufiicient to liberate gasolene and light oilvapors but insufi'icinet to vaporize heavy hydrocarbons.

3. Apparatus for the distillation of hydrocarbons from oil shalecomprising a heating device having a chamber for driving off vapors ofgasolene and light oils, and a second chamber for driving ofi' heavyhydrocarbon vapors, means to convey the shale through said chambers,common means for heating the first chamber and for heating the secondchamber to a higher temperature than the first, means to collect thevapors from the first chamber, and means to collect the vapors from thesecond chamber, the collecting means for the second chamber comprising aconduit leading to the intake of the device for introducing said heavyhydrocarbons intothe incoming shale.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

CAREY W. THO

PSON.

